a blog about life on Skopelos

The Giant Tortoise of Velanio

While most locals were either voting or enjoying the post electoral sun in cafes and tavernas along the paralia, we decided to check on a story we had heard. The story was that, on January 25, the Giant Tortoise of Velanio makes its annual journey to the sea. Hard to believe and, believe me, we tend not to believe anything until we see it with our own eye.

With camera in hand and some protective gear just in case, we took a position behind a few rocks towards the far end of Velanio and waited. Sure enough at 1:00pm a curious rumbling and loud crunching came from the pine forest above. Something was coming down the mountain getting closer and closer. Suddenly a small pine broke with a thunderous crack sending a thing rolling and bouncing out of control down the steep decline and onto the beach. It was it.

Luckily landing on its feet (we are not versed in tortoise tipping, especially giant ones) the tortoise moved steadily seawards before finally plunging in (score 9.5!). It wallowed, it lolled, it floundered (only once), and reared its head in obvious delight, and lumbered out of the sea and shook off.

As our new “friend” (facebook) searched for a path back up the mountain to its home in a secluded glen, we reflected on the events we had just witnessed wishing that others had been there to observe this unusual event. Our thoughts are with the tortoise, that it has a good year, and hope to see it again next year followed by a gaggle of little ones!